Painting with Teabags

In the latest issue of Watercolor Magazine, there was a creativity article on painting with teabags by Wendy Hill. To get back into the swing of things, I tried it. With this cold, I've been drinking a lot more tea so I quickly saved the ten teabags needed. Ten used teabags.

Some things I learned about painting with teabags;

1. Lay the teabags out flat and separately while saving them. I just kept adding mine to a bowl and the ones on the bottom were moldy when I went to use them. (Though, ticklingly, the bowl of used teabags really grossed my two boys out. That alone excused the moldiness for me.)

2. Used teabags STINK. I mean, they stink to high heaven!!! I had to open a window in my painting room because I couldn't take the smell anymore. At first, I thought that @#$% Moose had found another way to torment me, but no. He was out in the hallway, not even coming in the room. (He usually curls up around my feet while I paint.)

3. Dried teabags suck up a LOT of paint so you need to have a lot ready.

4. Have that paint ready in bowls or containers because the teabags break and the next thing you know, you have those tea grains all over the place - in your paint brushes, in your paint wells, everywhere. AFter finishing, I had some major cleanup to do!

Here's a few pics of the process:

First, you had to wet your paper, leaving some dry spots for whites. Then, splatter and drop in and drip paint in places. Place teabags on wet paint. (At this point, you don't notice the smell. lol)













Next, you add juicy paint to the teabags. (THIS is where the smell starts to waft upwards! We're not talking the sweaty socks smell of wet Arches paper you sometimes get, either. We're talking STINK. Horrible stink!) Those dried teabags can sure suck up a lot of paint! Let them dry.













The next photo shows the reason you put your paint in bowls or containers. So that you don't dip brushes full of tea back into the paint wells. ;o)















This is what I have now. Do I see anything in this? Not yet, except for the little fetal warrior in the upper right corner. The smell has fogged my vision for seeing anything other than that. I've thrown the teabags out, opened the windows to freshen this room up and will get back to it.














Would I do this again? Probably not. (Edit: A later note: I did, though!)

I've put some paint on the pear grisaille. I'll put that in a new post! Coming right up .......

In the meantime, would anyone like a cup of tea? (Don't worry, the teabags would be fresh and new. LOL.)